Bloodstar: Star Corpsman: Book One by Ian Douglas

Science Fiction/Space Opera

From Goodreads:

Navy Corpsman Elliot Carlyle joined up to save lives and see the universe. Now he and Bravo Company's Black Wizards of the interstellar Fleet Marine Force are en route to Bloodworld—a hellish, volatile rock colonized by the fanatical Salvationists who desired an inhospitable world where they could suffer for humanity's sins. Their penance could prove fatal—for the Qesh, a strange alien race detected but still mysterious for six decades, have made violent first contact.

Suddenly countless lives depend upon Bravo Company—perhaps even the fate of homeworld Earth itself—as the Marines prepare to confront a vast force of powerful, inscrutable enemies. And one dedicated medic, singled out by an extraordinary act of valor, will find himself with an astounding opportunity to alter the universe forever.

I have read some of Ian Douglas’s previous series and enjoyed them.  They are all military science fiction with a lot of blood and guts action.  When I saw Bloodstar was about a Medical Corpsman I was intrigued.  Would it be different from the previous books because the protagonist job is to save lives?  Would there be blood and guts action?  The answer is both yes and no.

There is a lot of world building in the book.  The medicine of this future is very different from the medicine of today.  In combat nanobots are what are used the most to heal wounds.  Death is not as permanent as today.   A Corpsman is also trained in combat and can use a weapon as well as the Marines he is there to protect. 

Look for a lot of information about medical procedures and how they are used inside the body.  There is a new and interesting alien race.  All of the people they are sent to protect do not want their help.  Look for a lot of internal and external conflict in the story. 

All in all this is an interesting concept for a military science fiction series and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a free eARC of Bloodstar from Edelweiss. 

Harper Voyager published Bloodstar by Ian Douglas in 2012.